He groaned, shifting his hands against the surface beneath him. Rough. Unforgiving. Rocks. The hum of a bustling crowd filled his ears, and he became acutely aware of voices shouting nearby.
“You lowlife! How dare you sneak into our town?”
Two burly men loomed over him, their strange uniforms glinting in the midday sun. They looked almost like knights from a historical reenactment, but there was no audience, no cameras—just the cold, sharp glares of the men in front of him.
Edric’s heart pounded as he scrambled to take in his surroundings. Stone buildings lined narrow streets, their wooden beams weathered but sturdy. The air smelled of earth, spices, and something faintly metallic. He blinked at the sight of horse-drawn carts rumbling over uneven brick roads. There wasn’t a car, a skyscraper, or a paved street in sight.
“This... this isn’t Earth,” he muttered, his voice shaky.
But the sound that escaped his lips wasn’t his own. It was rougher, younger, and utterly unfamiliar. His throat felt as dry as a desert.
“What the hell is happening?” He stared down at his hands—calloused, lean, and scarred. His legs and body were no better, thin but wiry, as though they’d seen years of hardship.
The larger of the two men grabbed him by the collar and hauled him to his feet as though he weighed nothing. Edric gasped, his feet dangling inches from the ground.
“What are you doing, you little shit?” the officer snarled, pulling back a fist.
Instinct took over. Edric kicked out, his long legs catching the man squarely in the temple. The officer grunted, releasing his grip as he stumbled back.
The second officer cursed and lunged forward, his speed didn’t make sense for his size. Edric didn’t wait. He bolted, his bare feet slapping against the bricks as he weaved through the crowd.
Adrenaline surged through him, but so did questions. Who was he? How had he ended up here? His lungs burned, and his muscles ached, but he didn’t stop. The officers’ shouts grew louder behind him.
Ahead, a bustling marketplace loomed—a chaos of colors, sounds, and smells. Edric dove into the crowd, shoving past vendors and carts.
He thought he’d lost them until his foot caught the edge of a table, sending him sprawling into a pile of brightly colored fruits. He rubbed the colorful juices of his face, his heart pounding with adrenaline that didn’t seem to stop.
“You bastard!” a booming voice growled.
Edric glanced up, his breath hitching. The shopkeeper was built like a bear, muscles bulging beneath his tunic. The man’s glare almost made Edric skip a beat.
As Edric scrambled to his feet, his gaze flickered to the strange, vibrant fruits scattered around him—purple, orange, red, and colors he couldn’t name. This was no place he recognized.
“This... this can’t be Earth,” he whispered, his chest heaving.
The burly shopkeeper reached under his table, his face contorted with fury. When his hand emerged, it was gripping a massive butcher knife—no, it was more like a sword. The blade gleamed in the sunlight, easily as long as the shopkeeper himself and seemingly weighing half his body weight. Yet, he hoisted it with one hand, muscles rippling as though it was light as a feather.
I am dead meat, Edric thought, adrenaline surging through him. He scrambled to his feet, heart pounding like a war drum, and bolted down the street.
The shopkeeper roared and swung the weapon in a wide arc, aiming to cleave him in two. The blade whistled through the air, missing Edric by a hair’s breadth. He stumbled but kept running, his slender frame narrowly dodging what would have been certain death.
What the hell?!
He wasn't an athlete by any stretch, yet somehow, his legs moved with a speed and coordination he’d never known before. Especially with his thin and wiry body was another mystery.
The chase continued, the shopkeeper lumbering after him. Despite the man’s hulking frame, he moved surprisingly fast, barrel-like arms pumping as he stormed through the street. But luck was on Edric's side. The shopkeeper began to slow, sweat pouring from his face as he gasped for air.
"Wait… you… bastard… cough, cough…" the shopkeeper wheezed, clutching his knees as he came to a halt.
Edric risked a glance back and sighed in relief. Finally, a chance to catch his breath.
But the respite was short-lived.
NEIGHHHH!
The sound of a horse’s cry ripped through the street, loud and unmistakable. Edric turned, dread pooling in his stomach.
"You have got to be kidding me," he muttered, his face pale as a sheet.
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Charging through the marketplace was none other than the officer he’d kicked earlier. The man was mounted on a massive horse, his expression twisted with rage. In one hand he held his sword waving it to warn the crown and the other held the brute of a horse's reigns.
"YOU LOWLIFE! GET BACK HERE AND DIE!" the officer bellowed, his voice echoing like a thunderclap.
Panic surged through Edric. He broke into a sprint, adrenaline burning through his veins. But his legs felt heavier with each step, fatigue setting in fast. His lungs burned, his body screaming for rest.
The officer galloped closer, his sword raised, and the sound of hooves thundered in Edric’s ears. The people in the marketplace dodged the rampaging horse with practiced ease, as if such chaos was routine.
"What kind of insane place is this?" Edric mumbled , bewildered. But he didn’t have time to dwell on it. The officer was closing in, and at this rate, Edric would be skewered like a roast pig.
Then, a voice rang out above the clamor:
“Come one, come all, to witness the marvelous play of ascension!”
The words cut through Edric's panic like a beacon. It sounded like a theater or an open circus.It didn't matter. Where there was a crowd, there was cover.
"If I can blend into the crowd and slip backstage, I can find a disguise. No way this guy’s horse is charging through a packed audience," Edric reasoned, gasping for breath.
He veered toward the source of the voice, legs moving in pure desperation. His hunch was right—a gathering crowd surrounded a grandiose stage, decorated with sophisticated colors, where performers prepared for their act.
Edric lunged into the throng, pushing past onlookers.
“Get back here!” the officer roared, but he was forced to slow as the crowd thickened, unwilling to trample innocent bystanders.
"Oi, watch it!" someone yelled as Edric bumped into them.
“Sorry!” Edric muttered, weaving through the mass of people. His eyes darted around, searching for an opening. He spotted the entrance to the backstage area, flanked by a few distracted stagehands.
Heart pounding, he maneuvered toward it, every step a gamble. The officer shouted somewhere behind him, but the noise of the crowd drowned out his words. For now, Edric was safe—but he knew his escape wasn’t over yet.
The booming voice of the presenter echoed through the marketplace.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen feast your eyes on the wonders of ascension! A tale of gods,mortals,heroes and villains”
Edric’s eyes widened as he glimpsed the man on stage. The presenter stood upon a raised wooden platform, arms outstretched. His clothes were otherworldly-a big robe made of shimmering fabric that changed color as he moved almost like liquid sunlight. His was painted in an elaborate design almost like a clown but with a swirling pattern that seemed to glow with the sunlight. His eyes were unsettling with a shade of azure blue almost like they weren’t human.
“Woah,is he glowing”momentarily forgetting his predicament.
The man’s voice was melodic,each words flowed like music. The entire audience were entranced by his way of speaking. He grabs a handful of something from his robe and flicks it into the air.
BOOM
It exploded into a miniature constellation . It looked like the stars add fallen and was close by. The audience gasped in awe, there eyes glued in spectacle.
This isn’t a play Edric thought. The sheer otherworldliness Hammered in the fact that this wasn’t Earth.
But there was no time to linger. Edric shook his head,snapping out of his trance. His survival came first.
He scanned the crowd for a safe place to hide. His eyes darts towards the left of the platform, he spotted a narrow gap, a perfect way to the backstage.
“Sorry buddy” Edric muttered to himself,weaving through the crowd with precision inorder not to draw anymore attention.He sidestepped a woman holding candied fruits. Narrowly avoided a group of children playing with a paper kite and slipped into the gap unnoticed.
The backstage was a chaotic maze of props and performers.Colorful clothes hung from racks , strange instrument lay across the floor and actors bustled about , preparing for the next act.
“Oi Who are you?”
Edric froze, looking up to see a squat man with a bulbous nose and face smeared with paint.He wore what looked like a knights armor... that is if knights wore armor made of gold foil.
“Uh ..new recruit” Edric blurted out, hoping his panic would be taken as enthusiasm.
The man squinted at him and grinned. “About time they sent someone to fix that bloody rope . It’s been squicking all day. Back left corner. hop on it.”
“R-right on it” Edric stammered , hurrying past him.
As soon as the man turned his back. Edric grabbed a tattered cloak hanging from a nearby rack and through it on himself.He spotted a shadowy corner behind the pile of props and darted there.
The noise of the theatre began to fade in the background as he finally allowed himself to breathe.
Then, just as his heart rate began to steady, the air around him shimmered.
A glowing screen materialized before his eyes, suspended in midair.
"Tutorial Complete."
"Quest Reward: Beginner’s Guide to Survival."
Edric blinked. “What the hell…?”
A rush of warmth surged through his body, like a comforting blanket on a cold night. His fatigue ebbed slightly, and a strange sense of clarity settled over him.
"Skill Unlocked: Quick Thinking (Tier 1)."
Beneath the text, smaller words appeared, as if the screen were reading his thoughts.
"Outwit pursuers and adapt to chaotic situations. Perfect for a quick-footed scoundrel!"
Edric’s jaw dropped. “A system? Like a real system?”
The screen shimmered again before fading into nothingness, leaving him staring at the empty air.
Edric leaned back against the crates, the faint hum of the crowd and performers filling his ears. For the first time since waking up, he allowed himself a small, disbelieving smile.
“Okay,” he muttered. “This might not be Earth… but at least I’ve got something going for me.”
Ascension Of The Throne[LitRPG/GunSlinger]
Edric Veyra's new reality. He only wants to survive, but trouble knocks like it's DoorDash. He soon realizes he is the fallen heir of House Veyra—once the pillars of the nation, now nothing more than a story.
System. Before he can mourn his luck, he is bombarded by cryptic memories and a weapon magically appears from thin air: a flintlock gun engraved with runes that shoots magic bullets.
"Why did House Veyra fall?"
WHAT TO EXPECT:
- ?? Weak to Strong:
- ?? 'Lite' LitRPG System w/ Minimal Stats
- ?? Emphasis on Party Dynamics (No Harem)
- ?? 1500+ words/chapter & Smooth pacing